Improvement in combined blinds and screens for railroad-cars



- 2 Sheets--Sheet2. W. H. FLETCHER.

Combined Blind and Screen for Railroad Cars. N0, I65,8I2, Pa1entedJuly2-0,18 7 5 WITNEEEEE= INWINTDW awfimu i i W W Z viwwzzm NJEYERS,PNQTO-UTHQGRAPHER, WASHINGTON 01C.

VILLIAM H. FLETCHER, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED BLINDS AND SCREENS FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,512, dated July 20,1875 application filed June 16, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. FLETCHER, of WV-ashington, in the countyof Washington and in the District of Columbia, have invented certain newand usefullm provementsin Means for Excluding Cinders and Light fromRailway-Cars; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the inner side of my combined blind and screen,showing the former closed. Fig.2 is a like view of the same, said blindbeing partially raised. Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, verticalcentral sections of Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 5 is a verti cal sectionupon line a; x of Fi 4.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The design of my invention is to enable light and cinders to be excludedfrom the windows of a railroad-car without interference with the freeadmission of air; to which end it consists, principally, in a slattedblind and a cinderscreen, combined together within a window- Opening,and capable of an independent or combined movement therein, so as toinclose or uncover said opening, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter specified. It consists, further, in the means employed forpreventing vertical motion of the blind when adjustcd to position,substantially as is hereininaiter set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A and A represent the side rails, B the bottomrail, and C the top railof a sashscreen, the latter of which rails, C,is wholly upon the outer face of said frame, and has but aboutone-fourth the horizontal dimensions of the other rails.

The frame thus constructed is covered upon its outer face with wirecloth, D, has such dimensions as to enable it to fit into an ordinarycar-window, inside of the usual sash, and is arranged to slidevertically within the windowframe, so as to inclose or uncover theopening, as may be desired.

YVithin the inner edge of each rail A is formed a vertical groove, a,that receives the corresponding tongue 6 of a rail, E, which latter railis connected with a second similar rail, E, by means of a top and abottom rail, F and G, respectively, the whole forming a second framethat just fills the space within the screenframe, and is capable ofvertical motion within the latter, as is said screen-.

frame within the window-frame.

Within the side rails E and E are pivoted a series of blind-slats, H andH, which are of ordinary form, but are disconnected, so that each has anindependent movement upon and around its own pivots h and h.

In order that each slat H maybe held in po sition and prevented fromturning when adjusted .to position, a spiral spring, I, is placedbetween the end of its pivot h and the inner end of its bearing 6, whichspring causes sufficient friction upon said pivot to prevent said slatfrom being turned, except by the hand. If desired, springs may be placedat the end of each pivot, but it is thought that but one to each slatwill be required.

The screen-frame is held in vertical position bymeans of twohalf-elliptical springs, K and K, which are secured to the outer edge ofeach side railA and bear against the window-jamb, while the verticalposition of the blind-frame is insured by one of said springs, K, thatis attached to each side rail E near its lower end, and a second spring,K, which is attached to said rail A within and near the upper end of thegroove a. 1

The device is now complete, and operates as follows \Vhen it is desiredto exclude both cinder-s and light, the screen-sash is moved downward tothe window-sill, and the blindsash in like inanner moved to the limit ofits downward motion, after which the slats are all closed. As thusarranged, (the glazed sash being of course raised-Q air will be admittedthrough the screen and through the contiguous edges of the blind slats,but cinders will be entirely excluded, and the light substan-' tiallyprevented from obtaining admission.

If more light is required, any desired number of the blind-slats may beturned so as to aiford access to the same, and, if still insufficient,the blind-sash may be partially or entirely raised.

When not in use, the combined screen and n. WEBSTER.

Device for Glazing Crackers,

N0.|65,8l3. Patentedluly20,1875.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. n c,

